Jonathan Lay is in on the hot seat. The cops circle around him, waiting for the confession like vultures waiting for the last gasp from fallen prey. They want a confession, but in this land far, far from Miranda rights, he’s not sure what he’s accused of.

“You got thirsty,” Marcus Lynn barks.

Lay stammers, “I wanted a Diet Sprite?”

Lynn barrels back, “Well you sure weren’t going to get it from there!”

During the next few minutes, Lay winces and tightens up under the barrage of leading questions until he finally breaks.

That’s only a crime in the world of improv comedy, which is where Lay and his interrogators were.

They are members of Extra Crispy, a nine-member improv troupe that has been performing around Central Kentucky for almost two years. The group’s next show is at Natasha’s Bistro on Thursday night.

The group keeps turning out a crowd because, by definition, every show is different.

“Off the cuff is the best way to describe it,” says Darrin Hensley, a professional stand-up comedian and Extra Crispy member. “You basically get a few quick guidelines: Who are we? Where are we? What are we doing? And you build the scene around that, you build the punch lines, the characters all on the spur of the moment.”